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Post by MartinT on Aug 4, 2014 20:48:31 GMT
So you have chosen your system components well and they make a good sound together. What can you do to take things further without making any major component changes?
In my opinion, there are five areas of system improvement that reward with attention to detail. Do them all and you will get the very best that your system is capable of. It doesn't matter whether we're talking of a high end system or a budget one, the same attention to detail, at an appropriate level of cost, will reward you with more than the sum of your components. These are:
- System & speaker positioning, setting the ideal listening position
- Room treatment - reducing flutter echo, bass modes, early reflections, harshness
- System racks, supports & isolation
- Mains power supply arrangements & routing
- Interconnects & speaker cables
I have ordered them in my order of importance, you may well disagree with my list.
What have you done with your system that has given you good gains in sound quality? Are there any of these areas you have not addressed?
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Post by John on Aug 5, 2014 4:17:19 GMT
In my system it would be slightly different
1) System and speaker positioning
2) Due to having Open baffles Loudspeakers changing speaker design. Better isolation, rigidity and works better in my room
3) Mains but I live close to a industrial estate
4) Isolation Has the biggest effect on my TT
5) Active DSP in the bass Gives me a lot of control over the bass. Very clean and agile
6) Interconnect cables and speaker cables
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Post by Chris on Aug 5, 2014 6:26:22 GMT
For a thread on basic systems,I think your putting too much thought in here fellas. Most folk with 'basic systems' aren't going to bother too much about flutter echo,early reflections,active Dsp or open baffle type issues.
A good listening position and placement of speakers is important,decent interconnects and speaker cable - roughly spend about £20 on each - seems sensible. Stick them on a decent,solid stand as well - no need for a £500,hifi specific rack. A 2nd hand mains cable and 6 block is worth it. Again £20 on the mains cable and £30 on the block.
I would also add in a £10 bluetooth receiver to open up more sources and give convenience.
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Post by John on Aug 5, 2014 6:29:55 GMT
Lol yes agree Chris
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 7:01:30 GMT
For a thread on basic systems,I think your putting too much thought in here fellas. Most folk with 'basic systems' aren't going to bother too much about flutter echo,early reflections,active Dsp or open baffle type issues. A good listening position and placement of speakers is important,decent interconnects and speaker cable - roughly spend about £20 on each - seems sensible. Stick them on a decent,solid stand as well - no need for a £500,hifi specific rack. A 2nd hand mains cable and 6 block is worth it. Again £20 on the mains cable and £30 on the block. I would also add in a £10 bluetooth receiver to open up more sources and give convenience. You spend HOW MUCH on cables  I'd better start saving  |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 5, 2014 8:15:38 GMT
For a thread on basic systems,I think your putting too much thought in here fellas. Most folk with 'basic systems' aren't going to bother too much about flutter echo,early reflections,active Dsp or open baffle type issues. I did say "at an appropriate level of cost"! However, I think the same things apply. You're maybe not going to invest in expensive room treatment, but there's a lot you can do with curtains and soft furnishings to help, as well as careful placement etc. Open your mind, you can do amazing things even to a very inexpensive system to make it sound better! |
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Post by pre65 on Aug 5, 2014 8:24:11 GMT
Open your mind is a good thing, but knowing when to close it can be equally important. 
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Post by Chris on Aug 5, 2014 8:27:01 GMT
I'm confused now as to what you mean about a "basic system". To me this read as a sort of quite decent "starter" system - maybe an audiolab amp,sony CD player and mission speakers. Agreed,there's plenty you can do to get the best out of any kit. Oh and I opened my mind years and years ago......  |
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 5, 2014 8:28:34 GMT
The tweaks can make a very nice difference
If you have you basic system (or not), little or no money, an inquisitive mind and a desire to hear more music then any of this is worth going for.
Some of it being free is good !
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Post by MartinT on Aug 5, 2014 8:38:40 GMT
Any system is a basic system before it's had any optimisation done to it. I wasn't really thinking of any particular price point.
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Post by dvh on Aug 5, 2014 9:03:24 GMT
I'd say, prioritise getting the listening position and basic 'sound' of the room right, then just sit back and enjoy the music. Once you start faffing about with cables, supports and mains treatments you enter 'a world of pain' aka audio nervosa.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 5, 2014 9:10:46 GMT
Once you start faffing about with cables, supports and mains treatments you enter 'a world of pain' aka audio nervosa. It can be like that, but I would still maintain that you could yield another 10-20% performance from your system with a little judicious attention and not a lot of money. |
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Post by danielquinn on Aug 5, 2014 9:11:52 GMT
i remember reading a interview with Ken Ishiwita [ spelling ? ] about his music room and his opinion was the damping early reflections can kill the liveliness and whilst he favored carpet he didnt damp first reflections from the walls .
My advise read everything ,then try it , see if it works for you , there are no absolutes in audio except perhaps you need an electricity supply .
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Post by MartinT on Aug 5, 2014 9:34:56 GMT
I agree, DQ, that there are those who advise not damping a room too heavily and maintaining the first reflection. Ken's a mighty interesting chap, by the way.
My TubeTraps are tuneable, that is to say that you can rotate them to tune according to your preference. One side of the cylinder is absorbent, the other reflective. I have four, one at each corner of the room. In experimenting, I arrived at full absorption facing the room for all four. This is most probably indicative that my room has a large bass mode or hump, which my plots agree with. Together with the PicturePanels, there is a lot of absorption in my listening room and my finger snapping tests reveal that flutter echo is almost completely eliminated compared with when the room was empty, where it was horrendous. The bass mode remains, however, albeit reduced. I probably prefer a more highly damped room than many other listeners, it's just my preference.
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 5, 2014 12:11:31 GMT
I recently discovered my seating position can make a huge difference to the sound quality.
Doesn't work in the context of the room and its use but it sounds very good
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Post by daytona600 on Aug 5, 2014 12:55:31 GMT
1/ Hybrid On/Off Grid PV Solar powered - no nasty mains EMC/RFI Interference plus works in power cuts + no need for silly mains cables or main regen units
Free upgrade as i get £ 1500 per year for 25years as i sell the suplus to the National Grid under FIT ( feed in tarrifs )
or balanced main transformer if you are connected to the national grid with separate ring main with type 2 overvoltage & surge suppression
2/ RCM
3/ Component isolation & vibration control under Active components - Turntable , transport , Dac ,Amps & Speakers
4/ Room treatments & DSP
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Post by MartinT on Aug 6, 2014 7:42:10 GMT
Here are some of the things I have done in my categories to get my system to sing well:
System & speaker positioning, setting the ideal listening position My speakers are large, so they are closer to the rear wall than I would ideally like. Firing across a room has always sounded better to me than firing down its length. I toe them in so that I can just see the inside faces. My listening position is on a sofa across the room, with its back to the rear wall. I sit with my ears just a little lower than the midrange driver.
Room treatment - reducing flutter echo, bass modes, early reflections, harshness
Carpeted room with soft furnishings and many CD towers to break up exposed wall faces. No exposed windows - venetian blinds break up the large surface. Four TubeTraps, one in each corner, tuned for maximum absorption. One SubTrap at rear left corner. Three PicturePanels, one behind each speaker and one behind my head at my listening position. Small silk rugs on walls. Speaker ports stuffed to reduce bass enhancement.
System racks, supports & isolation
The speakers sit on large screw-in cones through the carpet onto concrete. The main system rack is sprung to float with a resonant frequency of about 2Hz. Large Deflex SuperPods under SACD player. Isonoes and Techniboots under the turntable. Extensive use of RDC Cones under the rest of the equipment, including power supplies.
Mains power supply arrangements & routing
Missing Link EPS-100 silver plated unswitched double socket. Coherent 6D main power cable*. 1.5kW power regenerator feeding entire system. MCRU HC Ultimate power cable feeding power amp. MCRU No. 9 power cables elsewhere. PS Audio Harvesters x 2, Russ Andrews Silencer and Isotek Isoplug plugged into ring mains around house.
Interconnects & speaker cables
Yannis 423.5 PhonoLitz tonearm, 223.5 ConnectLitz single-ended and balanced interconnects. Tellurium Q Ultra Black speaker cables.
Other stuff: Nespa Pro light treatment of CDs & SACDs. Marigo Ultima Signature disc mat. Stillpoints LPI record weight.
* this is on loan, with my actual cable on order.
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